Nepal
Kingdom of Nepal
parliamentary democracy as of 12 May 1991Independence 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)
Nepal as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 98 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Southern Asia, between China and India
18 fieldsLand useshare of 140,800 sq km
Climate
varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south
Terrain
Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
Natural resources
quartz, water, timber, hydropower potential, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Natural hazards
severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons
Environment-current issues
- the almost total dependence on wood for fuel and cutting down trees to expand agricultural land without replanting has resulted in widespread deforestation;
- soil erosion;
- water pollution (use of contaminated water presents human health risks)
Environment-international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified:
- Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Geography-note
- landlocked;
- strategic location between China and India;
- contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks
People
16 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1998 est.)
Male · female
Religions(1981)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 42% (male 5,087,855; female 4,779,941)
- 15-64 years:
- 55% (male 6,655,865; female 6,387,255)
- 65 years and over:
- 3% (male 392,141; female 395,364) (July 1998 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.99 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
People-note
refugee issue over the presence in Nepal of approximately 91,000 Bhutanese refugees, 90% of whom are in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps
Government
Parliamentary democracy as of 12 May 1991; King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (succeeded to the throne 31 January 1972 following the death of his father King MAHENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev, crowned king 24 February 1975); Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 15 April 1998)
21 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature, 205 seatsone dot, one seat
Administrative divisions
14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Legal system
based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (succeeded to the throne 31 January 1972 following the death of his father King MAHENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev, crowned king 24 February 1975);
- Heir Apparent Crown Prince DIPENDRA Bir Bikram
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 15 April 1998);
- note-Prime Minister KOIRALA-the country's seventh prime minister since 1991-replaces Prime Minister Surya Bahadur THAPA, who served from October 1997 until April 1998, when he resigned as part of a power-sharing agreement with his coalition partners
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the king on the recommendation of the prime minister
- elections:
- none;
- the king is a constitutional monarch;
- following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the king
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament consists of the National Council (60 seats; 35 appointed by the House of Representatives, 10 by the king, and 15 elected by an electoral college; one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (205 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- House of Representatives-last held 15 November 1994 (next to be held by 15 November 1999)
- election results:
- House of Representatives-percent of vote by party-NCP 33%, CPN/UML 31%, NDP 18%, Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party 3%, NWPP 1%;
- seats by party - CPN/UML 88, NCP 83, NDP 20, NWPP 4, Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party 3, independents 7
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat), chief justice is appointed by the king on recommendation of the Constitutional Council, the other judges are appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Judicial Council
Political parties and leaders
- Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist (CPN/UML), Man Mohan ADHIKARI, party president, Madhar KUMAR, general secretary;
- Nepali Congress Party (NCP), Girija Prasad KOIRALA, party president, Daranath Rana DHATT, general secretary;
- National Democratic Party (NDP; also called Rastriya Prajantra Party or RPP), Surya Bahadur THAPA;
- Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party, Gajendra Narayan SINGH, president;
- Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP), Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chair
Political pressure groups and leaders
numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups
International organization participation
AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFCTU, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador (vacant)
- chancery:
- 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 667-4550
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Ralph FRANK
- embassy:
- Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu
- mailing address:
- use embassy street address
- telephone:
- [977] (1) 411179
Flag description
- red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping right triangles;
- the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun
Economy
Nepal is among the poorest and least developed | countries in the world with more than half of its population living | below the poverty line.
28 fieldsGDP-composition by sector(1997 est.)
Economy-overview
Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with more than half of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting for 40% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain.
Production of textiles and carpets has expanded recently and accounted for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings in the past two years. Apart from agricultural land and forests, exploitable natural resources are mica, hydropower, and tourism. Agricultural production is growing by about 5% on average as compared with annual population growth of 2.5%. Since May 1991, the government has been moving forward with economic reforms particularly those that encourage trade and foreign investment, e.g., by eliminating business licenses and registration requirements in order to simplify investment procedures.
The government has also been cutting expenditures by reducing subsidies, privatizing state industries, and laying off civil servants. More recently, however, political instability - five different governments over the past few years-has hampered Kathmandu's ability to forge consensus to implement key economic reforms.
Nepal has considerable scope for accelerating economic growth by exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas where there has recently been foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other areas will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, and its susceptibility to natural disaster.
The international community's role of funding more than 60% of Nepal's development budget and more than 28% of total budgetary expenditures will likely continue as a major ingredient of growth.
Labor force
- total:
- 10 million (1996 est.)
- by occupation:
- agriculture 81%, services 16%, industry 3%
note: severe lack of skilled labor
Industries
- tourism, carpet, textile;
- small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills;
- cigarette;
- cement and brick production
Exports
- total value:
- $419 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) but does not include unrecorded border trade with India
- commodities:
- carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain
- partners:
- India, US, Germany, UK
Imports
- total value:
- $1.6 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.)
- commodities:
- petroleum products 20%, fertilizer 11%, machinery 10%
- partners:
- India, Singapore, Japan, Germany
Exchange rates
Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1-63.265 (January 1998), 58.010 (1997), 56.692 (1996), 51.890 (1995), 49.398 (1994), 48.607 (1993)
Telephone system
poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service
- domestic:
- NA
- international:
- radiotelephone communications; satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Transportation
6 fieldsNetworkskm
Military
Royal Nepalese Army, Royal Nepalese Army Air | Service, Nepalese Police Force
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsIllicit drugs
illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West NETHERLANDS
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Nepal.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/nepal/1998.